Richmond is moving up in the world. Not only was the city recognized by the Human Rights Campaign last fall as the city with the highest Municipal Equality Index score in the state — a huge contrast from only two years earlier — we’ve now managed to score ourselves a high-profile gig as the site of Compete Magazine’s first-ever Sports Diversity Jubilee.

The event, announced at the Nov. 10 Petey Awards ceremony in Tempe, AZ, will take place May 17-19 in Richmond. It will feature dodgeball and softball competition, as well as a variety of other sporting events featuring LGBTQ athletes from around the world.

Sports Diversity Jubilee creators Compete Magazine are a product of Arizona’s Media Out Loud; Compete was founded in 2007 by Eric Carlyle and David Riach, then teammates on the Phoenix Storm gay rugby team. It has been putting a spotlight on LGBTQ sports ever since.

Officially known as the Compete Sports Diversity Awards, this year’s 9th Annual Petey Awards wasn’t just the site of the official Sports Diversity Jubilee announcement. It also saw Richmond receive recognition as an “emerging LGBTQ+ sports tourism destination” by Compete’s Sports Diversity Leadership Council. The award was accepted by Mayor Levar Stoney, who said, “We’re proud to be recognized by the Petey Awards and will continue our work to make Richmond more inclusive and welcoming.”

Local non-profit organization Richmond Region Tourism was a founding member of Compete’s Sports Diversity Leadership Council, and founded OutRVA, an arm of the nonprofit group dedicated to bringing LGBTQ tourism to Richmond, in 2014.

“We’re thrilled to receive this year’s Petey Award and can’t wait to cheer on the talented LGBTQ+ athletes at the Sports Diversity Jubilee next year,” said Katherine O’Donnell, executive vice president of Richmond Region Tourism.

Her sentiments were echoed by Mayor Stoney, who said, “We’re looking forward to introducing the city to some of the world’s best LGBTQ+ athletes this May.”

We’re looking forward to it as well, and will bring you plenty of in-depth coverage of the event when the spring rolls around. Stay tuned.

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